Terri J. Vaughn, Bio and Photo

Terri J. Vaughn, Bio and Photo

Terri J. Vaughn first stole America’s heart with her lovable portrayal of Lovita Alizay Jenkins on “The Steve Harvey Show.” After that, she made her way to Will Smith’s executive produced, “All of Us,” as school teacher Jonell, and then as Renee, a sexy, sassy and hilarious nurse, to life on Tyler Perry’sMeet The Browns. Now, Terri can be seen as Melisse, the no nonsense house manager, on Oprah Winfrey’s new drama series, “Greenleaf,” alongside legendary Lynn Whitfield and Keith David. From her first professional job in a 20-city tour of “Tellin’ it Like it Tiz,” this San Francisco native has proven herself as a talent to be reckoned with.

Terri has been honored with three NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her work on “The Steve Harvey Show.” She was also nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on “Soulfood,” as Eva Holly, during her multi-episode guest arc on the groundbreaking series. Included on Terri’s resume is the Tyler Perry film “Daddy’s Little Girls.” She can also be seen in the independent dramedies, “Dirty Laundry”, “3 Can Play That Game” and “The Marriage Chronicles.”

Along with starring in several other independent projects and conducting her Atlanta based acting school, Terri adds to her list of can-do’s, by producing multiple projects under her and Cas Sigers’ production company, Nina Holiday Entertainment (NHE).“Between Sisters,” which aired as the highest rated show on GMC Network and “Sugar Mommas,” which was nominated for a 2013 NAACP Image Award, are just a couple of the projects Terri created, starred in and produced under Nina Holiday Entertainment. NHE also produced the family film, “Hamlet & Hutch,” starring legendary Burt Reynolds, and just recently the highly anticipated, “Girlfriends’ Getaway,” produced by and starring Terri, with Malinda Williams, Garcelle Beauvais and Essence Atkins premiered as the highest rated movie ever in TVOne history. The sequel, “Girlfriends Getaway 2” premiered August 2015. Always pushing to grow creatively, Terri completed her film directing debut January 2016 with the hilarious ‘Friday-isque’ comedy, #DigitalLivesMatter, starring social media comedic influencers, DC Young Fly and Emmanuel Hudson.

Out of her desire to give back to her community, in 1997, Terri started Take Wings Foundation, in the San Francisco Bay Area, to help mentor young women growing up in at risk communities. This is just another testament to the well-rounded, grounded and passionate artist that so many have come to know as Terri J. Vaughn.

Our Mission

The mission of the Take Wings Foundation is to build self-esteem of at-risk girls between the ages of 12-18 living in the greater San Francisco Bay Area by providing positive experiences and role modeling.